Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, the 1996 welfare reform law that we are reauthorizing today has been an unprecedented success, one of the most important pieces of social policy since the civil rights legislation of 1965. Today with the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act, we are set to build on that success. The bill marks the beginning of a second phase of reform that will help even more Americans find productive jobs. My friends on the other side of the aisle may say, 'The system is working. Why fix it? Why argue with success?' Here is why. Welfare caseloads have fallen dramatically since 1996, but as this chart right here shows, 58 percent of TANF recipients still are not working for their benefits, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And we all know that work is essential to help people get the skills that they need to move up the economic ladder. The bottom line is that approximately 2 million families remain on welfare rolls today and we need to do something about it.”